Strong, smoky aroma has quite a fierce alcohol overtone, more what one would expect from a barleywine. Unfortunately, it tends to overwhelm the "stouty" parts of the otherwise quite inviting aroma. It pours a rich, warm sable with a thick and fluffy, if not too persistent, dark chocolaty-tan head. Flavor has roast quality coffee, unsweet chocolate and woody tones with a hint of licorice - alcohol bite is not nearly what the aroma suggests. Smooth, full-bodied texture has plenty of fizz and just a bit of an alcohol nip. Like stouts? Look for this one!

Pours into a Hamms goblet with a tight layer of mocha stained foam. Jet black body, dark chestnut around the edges. Decent head retention, head lasts a few minutes and dwindles after the first couple sips. Sticky collar of thin lace. Thin veil and a small cluster of irregular bubbles floating in the center.

Smells like Welch's grape juice, dried cherries, and red currants. Fruity obviously, with little in the way of roastiness.

Flavor has a bit of cocoa and roast in the middle and background. Fruity and lightly astringent at first with a mild artificial note that fades away quickly. Mild bitterness from the roast in the middle that lingers in the aftertaste. Cacao and medium roast coffee intermingle with dried currants. The fruit character blends well, but the initial astringency throws off things a little. Overall an interesting Swedish imperial stout, not sure i'd pick it up again though.

Appearance: Free pour yields a one and a half inch, frothy, light tan head that dissipates slowly and rockily, leaving small, tight arches of lacing. Pours black with brown highlights, and speckles the glass with spots and large islands of lacing.

Smell: Fruity, with a sort of red wine grape and anise thing happening. Effervescent. Some interesting sugary coffee and dark chocolate come out with time. Pretty good, but not very complex or distinctive.

Taste: Very mild coffee and semisweet chocolate up front. The rather subdued flavor is rounded out in the finish by some of that grape from the nose. Lack of sufficient bitterness is immediately apparent.

Pretty delicate flavor for an imperial stout (to put it nicely), but not bad. I like the mild grape, anise, coffee thing, but it's a bit watery and could really stand some roasted flavors (or something bold and "imperial"). No dryness at all... it feels kind of under-attenuated and under-hopped. Also, tastes like some Belgian dark ale malts like Special B were used prominently (if anything here can be called "prominent"), but fail to be adequately balanced by roasted malt or bitterness or dryness.

It's hard to rate this... in a lot of ways, it's pretty bad; far from imperial, and sorely lacking in most areas that one expects from stouts (imperial or otherwise). On the other hand, I actually like the flavor. Even the vegetal sourness that eventually dominates the finish strikes me as--while not great--not unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Appropriate carbonation. Gives the impression of a profound dullness, like there's more areas than I can keep track of that needed to be dialed up.

Overall: This is a pretty sad beer. It fails to assert itself, and tastes like a lot of mistakes were made in its brewing.

That said, I actually think you could find many places where this beer would be appropriate and enjoyable to drink. While it's almost laughable to call it a Russian Imperial Stout--and it's not even that above average as any kind of stout--it has some nice flavors and is moderately refreshing.

I think this beer would be good with food, particularly hors d'oeuvres. So i guess this beer's place is... at a wedding? Boring family gathering? Cocktail party a la what casually wealthy people on TV frequently attend? Though I've never seen an entire episode, I would imagine that you would want a large supply of this beer if you are ever transported into the universe of HBO's Sex In The City.

Also, it bears noting that the beer is grossly overpriced here in the USA.

From notes 7/29/11. Dark chocolate and cola are strong in the aroma. It also smells sweet and toasty, like fresh bread and caramel. Unfortunately, it’s all a tad weak. The taste is marred by the body which is fairly thin. Feel is kinda fizzy and washed out but not terrible. There's still some body to the beer. Taste is fairly sweet with roast and mineral hop bitterness in the finish. A touch of booze throughout. Pours about the color of black coffee with a dissipating beige head. Decent but nothing special.

Pours dark and near black, oily sheen to it, cap of creamy and dense khaki head. Scent showcases dark roasted malts with minimal amount of fruityness (mostly cherry) and a light creamy sweetness. Taste is simple and straight-forward - dark roasted malts with notes of chocolate and coffee, fruityness is again light with cherry notes. Light toffee like lingering sweetness. Finnish is dry, full bodied, creamy. Muted as an RIS but a good stout none the less.

I have tasted this beer in every available form, I think - bottle, tap and straight from the maturation tank on site. But you are required to put in a serving type so I put bottle.

Jet black with tan foam, just as it should be. Oh sweet darkness, devour me.

Smell is really nice, although not that overwhelming. No detectable hop character, but none is required in my opinion.

Well inside your mouth this beer starts to do things to you. Darkness, chocolate, darkness, sweetness, and other good stuff too. It is surprisingly soft, making me suspect there is oats in it (can anyone confirm?). Low on sharp and bitter coffee notes and low bitternes for the type. Almost an imperial porter rather than a stout, if not for the dark color.

Mouthfeel is fantastic. Right on the spot.

All in all a really nice beer. Catherine of Russia might want more alcohol and more bitterness but I am satisfied with whats in my glass.

From the tap...pours jet black with oily brown head. Nose is roast, chocolate. Mouth feel is a little thin, but still with some meat. Chocolate, coffee, roast, oats? dominate the taste. It has a very understated hop character that balances well. I enjoyed it.

pours a bubbly ink black with a dirty tan head. Smells of milk chocolate and smooth roasted coffee. I'm getting some faint herbal notes, too, but hardly. Very smooth mouthfeel followed by a huge burst of dark, bitter and roasted flavors. After letting this sit for a bit the roast bomb simmers down a notch or two. The mouthfeel also went from smooth to thin. Slight hints of chocolate hidden among the malt. Kind of a roasted and something else finish. At first this beer was running out the gates, but then it subsided. Not bad, just not great. This does not meet the standards of an RIS.

A brew black as night with a small, and fast disappearing head that doesnt impress.

Smells heavily of roasted malt, strong notes of chocolate and even some coffee, accompanied by some grassy, earthy hops, a very sublte sweetness in the form of really dark chocolate cake, might just aswell be my imagination though.

Tastes very much like what the nose indicated , rather long and persistent bitterness from the heavily roasted malts, but it still fits rather well with the overall bouqet of flavours. The big minus here is that I dont find the beer rich en ough in flavours overall for the style.

Creamy and surprisingly viscous mouthfeel considering the ABV, soft and well fitting carbonation.

The taste is also elegant with lots of roasted malts. I also found notes of coffee, nuts, roasted vegetables and toffee. Some bitter flavours and a hint of lemon and fruits. The aftertaste is powerful with notes of dark bread, espresso and nuts. Some sour notes in the finish.

The carbonation is soft, the bubbles are medium. The liquid is thick, smooth and a bit sticky.